TAMPA — Players see the Central Division race playing out like a horror movie in which it’s hard to predict who is going to be left standing.

“I’m guessing we’ve never seen anything like it’s going to be,” Dallas Stars forward Tyler Seguin said during All-Star weekend.

As the All-Star break ends and games resume on Tuesday, the seven-team Central Division is the only one with every team possessing a positive goal differential. Five teams are in playoff position, with the Minnesota Wild tied with 57 points for the final wild-card spot and the Chicago Blackhawks four points out.

The Central has a combined goal differential of +121. The expectation is that these teams will be shuffled a few times before the season ends. .

“Every night it seems like everyone in our division is picking up points and wins,” Minnesota center Eric Staal said.

Before the break, the Colorado Avalanche and Nashville Predators both earned 16 points over their last 10 games. Every other team earned at least 13 points, except the Chicago Blackhawks.

“You look at the Central, you feel like you are playing well as a team and you are really only keeping up,” Seguin said.

Among important issues that will decide what happens in the Central are the Wild’s 9-14-1 road record, the Blackhawks’ goaltending situation with Corey Crawford out and whether the Avalanche can carry their momentum in the second half.

The Avalanche have been fueled by Nathan MacKinnon’s sensational season (24 goals, 60 points). His confidence is overflowing and it seems unlikely that will change.

“If you told me before the season that I’d be in the MVP race, I wouldn’t believe you. I’d think you’re an idiot,” MacKinnon said. “I’m just trying to do my thing out there. If I’m in the MVP race or not, it doesn’t matter to me. I’m just thinking about hopefully making the playoffs and doing whatever I can to help the team make the playoffs.”

The Wild’s road record seems inexplicable when you realize Minnesota is 17-4-4 at home. If the Wild even had just three more road wins, their season would be looking much better.

Crawford’s injury status is the NHL’s biggest mystery. The Blackhawks aren’t saying what his injury is, or whether there is any hope that he will return this season.

It hasn’t helped that veterans such as Jonathan Toews, Brent Seabrook and Duncan Keith are having subpar seasons. If Crawford is going to be out for an extended period, the Blackhawks will have to look at acquiring a veteran goalie if they want to make a run at the playoffs.

“You look at who’s in last place in the Central – it’s Chicago and they are still one of the best teams in the division,” Seguin said. “They are really not playing that terribly. You know they are going to be pushing like crazy to get close. You can’t count them out.”

Meanwhile, nearer to the top of Central, the expectation is that the St. Louis Blues will find another scorer from the trade market. Ottawa’s Mike Hoffman is mentioned as a possibility.

The division-leading Winnipeg Jets have been built steadily through the draft. General manager Kevin Cheveldayoff doesn’t trade as often as Jim Rutherford or David Poile or Stan Bowman. But the Jets have reached the point now where it would make sense for them to add some depth before the Feb. 26 trade deadline.

The Stars aren’t expected to do much before the deadline. GM Jim Nill likes his team. But they could add a depth defenseman.

The Predators are probably a stronger team than they were last spring when they reached the Stanley Cup. Poile isn’t expected to do much, but they could be changed by injury or Poile’s instincts. He doesn’t often stand idle at trading time.

Seguin said he isn’t going to be fretting about what other teams are doing.

A video board displays the winning speed of the shot taken by Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals in the hardest shot competition during the 2018 NHL All Star Game skills competition at Amalie Arena. Reinhold Matay, USA TODAY Sports

Central Division defenseman John Klingberg (3) of the Dallas Stars shoots on Metropolitan Division goalie Henrik Lundqvist (30) of the New York Rangers in the save streak challenge during the 2018 NHL All Star Game skills competition at Amalie Arena. Reinhold Matay, USA TODAY Sports